Linda M. Platas is an associate professor and chair in the Department of Child and Adolescent Development at San Francisco State University. Her primary areas of research are early childhood education, early math and literacy development, teacher education, and the formation and implementation of early childhood public policy. Her experience includes 14 years working directly with children and families as a teacher and director of an early childhood program. Dr. Platas has worked with ministries of education in low-resource countries on school readiness, curriculum development, early math and literacy assessments, and classroom quality measurement. She serves as an expert in international meetings on early mathematics and literacy development for UNESCO, the WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank and other non-governmental organizations. She is currently a member of the Development and Research in Early Mathematics Education (DREME) Network. Dr. Platas holds a Ph.D. in Education from University of California, Berkeley and a B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development/Research and Public Policy from San Francisco State University.